In a series of before and after pictures, iPhones, iPods, and iPads get resurrected by repair service iCracked.
Tim Hornyak
Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
Has your iPhone received less tender loving care than it should? Perhaps it got knocked around a bit or even smashed to pieces. You might think it's game over for the device, but California-based repair and buyback startup iCracked wants to persuade you otherwise. With a growing network of repair staff in 11 countries, iCracked will dispatch an iTech to you and fix your device on the spot. Here's a sample of some of its work.
This poor iPhone had an unfortunate meeting with some steps. It took a tumble down three flights of stairs in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Its owner then handed it to an iCracked iTech as a joke, but the technician easily repaired it by replacing the front screen assembly, the frame, and the battery.
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iPod goes biking
This iPod went for a bike ride but then fell off. It had a nasty scrape with the pavement and looked much the worse for wear. An iCracked technician was dispatched to the owner in Newburgh, N.Y., the screen was replaced, and the Pod was ready to roll again.
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Run over by a truck
This iPhone from East Quogue, N.Y., was living a happy life until its owner dropped it on a street, whereupon a truck ran over it. It ended up with a bent frame and a screen broken in countless pieces. Under the tender loving care of an iTech, its screen, rear camera, frame, battery, and rear glass were replaced. Now it can keep on truckin'.
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Forgotten on a car roof
About 12 percent of iCracked's repair business is broken iPads. This fourth-generation Apple tablet in Charleston, S.C., was seeing stars after its owner forgot it on a car roof and then drove off.
It flew off the vehicle at approximately 45 mph, and was then run over by another car. An iCracked technician was able to replace the screen, and all was well again.
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iPad run over twice
Some iPads are just plain unlucky. This one from Los Angeles looks like it was left in a freezer, but was actually run over -- not once, but twice -- by its owner. An iTech was able to put a new screen in and reshape the frame. Good as new.
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Was in a Jeep, then wasn't
This unfortunate iPhone from Seattle was out for a ride in a Jeep when the vehicle made a sudden turn. It flew out the window and when under a rear tire, leaving it a nifty new design but also completely unusable.
An iCracked technician put in a new front screen assembly, dock unit, rear glass, rear camera, and battery. It's ready to hit the road again.
